Young plants for
field and glass
Transplants raised for salad and vegetable growers across mainland Britain, in peat blocks and in peat-free Ellepots.
Crystal Heart Salad Company was established in 1971 and is one of the UK's leading propagators of salad and vegetable plants. We raise around 130 million young vegetable plants a year — lettuce, celery, pak choi, herbs, leeks and brassicas — and supply major salad growers from the south coast of England to Scotland.
The company works five hectares of glass across two sites in East Yorkshire: three hectares at Sandholme, near Howden, and a further two at Cottingham that come into use as the season demands.
Peat blocks
Lettuce, pak choi, celery and herbs produced in peat blocks — the system most of the UK salad sector plants from, and the benchmark against which everything else is measured.
Peat-free Ellepots
Transplants raised peat-free in Ellepots: a paper-wrapped plug of coir, woodfibre and bark, with the fertiliser, wetting agent and microbial inoculation matched to the mix. Ellepots for lettuce are supplied in a 216-cell Airtray from Proptek.
A plug size for each crop
Different crops can be raised at different densities, according to their growth habit, the season of the year, and for reasons of economy.
| System | Crop | Per tray |
|---|---|---|
| Peat block | Lettuce | 176 |
| Peat block | Leeks | 216 |
| Ellepot | Lettuce, celery | 216 |
| Ellepot | Leeks | 345 |
Lettuce in peat blocks occasionally goes to 150 per tray early in the season.
Crops
Lettuce, celery, pak choi, herbs, leeks and brassicas.
Ordering
Each order is grown specifically for one customer, according to variety, planting date and production format as specified.
Assurance
All production is to the GlobalGAP standard for vegetable plant propagation.